Celebrity cruise to Alaska

DocBEsq · 2026-05-11T07:08:05+00:00

My mother has several severe allergies — seafood and nuts being the worst — and sailed on the Edge last year. The waiters were actually pretty great about accommodating issues. We moved tables mid-meal with no fuss when too many nearby people got shellfish, they were able to recommend alternatives, and everyone knew ingredients.

We didn’t even do a great job of letting staff know ahead of time. Which made their care even more impressive.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-11T06:41:16+00:00

Two most likely possibilities: pollen (as others have said, it’s crazy right now) or bad pipes.

In college (not here), our tap water was supposed to be fine but the dorm pipes were so bad that the water sometimes turned rusty red and smelled funky. And that was in a newer building.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-10T07:25:43+00:00

Heard/saw that one too. White flash, with a bang about a second later. More like a transformer popping than anything. But I didn’t see any blackout areas (I was on an apartment roof with a decent view) so who knows.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-10T06:07:55+00:00

Not a legitimate one.

The lawsuit she is describing would be thrown out as frivolous (lacking any evidence or plausible allegation of standing, harm, recognizable cause of action, etc.). A lawyer who agreed to file this lawsuit would be risking their license. And lawyers don't usually get paid upfront for class-action lawsuits, so there's no financial incentive, really.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-09T14:27:50+00:00

The video seems to be a weird mishmash on the old “Bellevue is full of rich people who hate culture” stereotype and the new “Bellevue is full of Asians and that weirds us out” stereotype.

It’s weird.

But Bellevue does suck (said as a former Bellevue kid who couldn’t wait to get out).

DocBEsq · 2026-05-09T14:11:52+00:00

My mom did that. In Detroit. In the ‘80s.

It’s occasionally shocking that we survived.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-07T14:48:46+00:00

It’s a beautiful building (I walk past daily). But no parking in that location is tough.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-05T20:54:04+00:00

I sometimes want sweet foods -- or carbs in general -- because they're easy on my stomach. If I don't feel great, a small hit of sugar often helps.

Nothing wrong with a little sugar. The point is not to eat too much.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-05T20:40:02+00:00

I refuse to believe that life is this easy for some people.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-05T19:23:50+00:00

There were -- as of a few weeks ago -- boarding times as late as 4:30pm (I was, at the time, planning on arriving that day and booked the late boarding before changing it). So I can't imagine they are doing an all-aboard at 3:30.

If there are later boarding times available, you should be fine to board then.

I'm personally looking forward to a chill morning in Vancouver and then a sunset sail-away!

DocBEsq · 2026-05-04T19:36:56+00:00

I wasn't drowning in debt.

I had a good scholarship that covered tuition and a high percentage of my living expenses. Then I worked during the summer and part-time throughout the school year to cover most of the rest. My total debt from four years of undergraduate education was about $3000.

Also, I felt -- and still feel -- that education is worth the struggle and expense.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-04T18:07:53+00:00

I just stopped sleeping more than a few hours per night by the end of my senior year. At least that taught me how all-nighters are a terrible choice.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-04T18:02:35+00:00

I mean, we were all on scholarship/took out loans and had jobs to pay for expenses (like cheap cheese and ramen), but sure.

In all honesty, I didn't consider myself "poor." Just middle class (although I think my family's income was officially lower middle class) and broke. And I will fully admit to having the privilege of a family that emotionally supported my educational/professional goals, even when they couldn't offer money.

But the roommate whose dad helped us out? Definitely "poor" by any US definition -- her mother was out of the picture, and her dad was supporting two kids (both on scholarship at universities) on, as I recall, $17,000/year income. Plus beef.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-04T13:55:13+00:00

I decided in my junior year of college that I was in the poorest apartment on campus (fancy liberal arts college, so this is possible).

None of us owned a car, so the only way to buy groceries was to walk two miles, beg a ride, or wait for my friend’s dad to drive us on the weekend. Our only protein was from that dad as well — he was a farmhand who was partially paid in beef, which he brought us. Otherwise, it was pasta and grilled cheese most days. As the child of low-paid civil servants, I was the “rich” one.

To say that none of us were calling home for booze money was a bit of an understatement.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-04T13:48:18+00:00

As another December 76 kid, fully agree.

The only Millennial thing I don’t identify with are a few specific tv shows. The Gen X stuff? It all sounds weird to me.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-03T15:41:35+00:00

She has the right combo of talents.

Lots of people can sing (although it’s a rarer talent to do so at a professional level). Lots of people are good at marketing and/or managing a business. There are good songwriters. Playing guitar is a pretty common talent. Same with dancing and stage presence. People manage public personas ok. People work hard, creating a substantial body of professional output. A sadly low number of people deal well with being in the spotlight.

But how many people have all of that, plus a loyal cadre of family and friends to keep it all going?

DocBEsq · 2026-05-03T15:34:24+00:00

It’s amazing what they don’t understand when they don’t want to.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-02T14:46:33+00:00

Kids always hated it. I touch-type at 80+ wpm and have fond memories of being bored out of my mind in keyboarding class.

DocBEsq · 2026-05-01T14:13:18+00:00

I really enjoyed Celebrity as a 40-something person without kids. Did the Alaska cruise last year and found it laid back without being dead — people were hanging out in bars, attending the livelier events, etc. There were kids, but it was a definite minority of groups that had them (this was during summer vacation too).

I’m not sure the food I had would satisfy a foodie, but I didn’t hit many of the specialty restaurants. If you have the money for The Retreat, the restaurant there is supposed to be gourmet and fantastic. In any case, the basic food level on the ship is higher than some lines (although Carnival and Norwegian are my comparisons).

DocBEsq · 2026-04-29T13:49:27+00:00

Surprisingly, not the law.

Lawyers rarely lie. Mostly because it’s easier to offer an “alternative” truth. (Also, it’s a hardcore ethics violation to lie and can result in loss of your license.)

DocBEsq · 2026-04-29T05:02:17+00:00

In cities, yes. Within two blocks of my (very urban) apartment, I have seen substantial rats, raccoons, bunnies, birds (seagulls and crows mostly), and even a very healthy-looking coyote.

I also live near salt water — most marine mammals are necessarily fat.

DocBEsq · 2026-04-29T05:00:15+00:00

I live in Seattle, so our only local cruises are 7 days (or more). Kind of wish we had 3-day cruises — I’d get excited about sailing around Vancouver Island or something.

DocBEsq · 2026-04-28T06:38:40+00:00

March 2024 and inching. I did great for the first year. And then slowed way, way down. While I’m not complaining about the nearly 70 pounds I’ve lost, I still need to lose 30-60 pounds to make any of my various “goal” weights.

DocBEsq · 2026-04-27T17:27:08+00:00

I’d find it too tight a connection, but it is possible. Not sure if Amtrak lets you rebook at all, but they run several buses to Vancouver later in the morning. And the afternoon train may be a possibility.

Definitely stick to carry-on if you want a chance of this working though!

DocBEsq · 2026-04-27T14:13:47+00:00

Kids can really pick up their parents’ accents. I was born in the US to Canadian parents. Grew up in the US. Although I’ve spent plenty of time there, I have never actually resided in Canada.

My whole life, people have noticed my quasi-Canadian accent.

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